Spider-Jew

Spider-Man mirrors the consciousness of Jewish activists. So says the creator of a Jewish superhero comic series.

A strange feeling comes over a committed Jewish activist when watching Spider-Man. No, it's not Spider-Sense. It's more a pang of familiarity -- some might call it Spider-Seichel -- felt when one watches Spider-Man responding to a murderous aggressor who has no compunction about attacking women and children using explosives and stolen technology. Spider-Man fights back, defends and protects, but the newspapers range from depicting the two sides as equivalent, to blaming Spider-Man for the destruction.

"Bad press!" the audience mutters. "But he's a hero!"

Anyone who feels for a peace-loving Israel -- vilified by bored, vindictive or gullible reporters -- can't help but ask about Spider-Man: "Why does he even bother?" At a time when Jewish sensibilities are raised by unfriendly press coverage of Israeli defensive actions, we relate to a superhero who finds the newspapers against him when his sole aim is to defend the innocent.

JEWISH ACTIVISTS

Besides the "public relations problem," there's a web of Jewishness about "Spidey" that's hard to ignore. A web that stretches from his Jewish creator Stan Lee (Stanley Martin Lieber) to Sam Raimi (the Jewish director of the new blockbuster film), and across numerous points along the way.

Peter Parker, Spider-Man's alter ego, lives in Forest Hills, Queens, New York (a very Jewish neighborhood) and fits the Jewish stereotype of the nerdy pathetic guy with glasses who's invisible (not as a super-power, but as a shortcoming) to the beautiful girl next door, who, in turn, wastes her time with less deserving athletic thugs and rich boys.

Before Peter Parker goes out and saves the world, he first needs to experience tragedy.

Peter gets bitten by a genetically modified spider that changes him in some very profound ways. Similarly, Jewish activists "bitten by the bug" find their entire lives with a new focus, and -- frequently -- increased strength and stamina. But Peter Parker's first reaction is not to go out and save the world. He needs to experience tragedy first.

In the 1930s and 40s, American Jews witnessed, albeit from a distance, the wholesale slaughter of their brethren in Europe. The aftermath of regret -- and the abiding wish that we could have done more -- has evidenced itself in deep commitment to prevent a recurrence of this historic horror. The primary activist response has been on behalf of Jews in danger overseas. This plays out principally in a fervent commitment to Israel, but is manifest in other ways such as the movements for Soviet and Ethiopian Jewry.

Another outcome (some say a secondary response to guilt suffered wondering if someone "dropped the ball") has been a redoubling of mainstream Jewish commitment to a more or less universalist campaign for human rights, both at home and abroad.

Poor Peter Parker became a hero the same way. After seeing someone close to him die as the victim of senseless, eminently preventable violent crime, he vows to protect the innocent, keeping the same fate from befalling others.

"Where there is no man, be a man." -Rabbi Hillel

"Not everyone is meant to make a difference. But for me, the choice to live an ordinary life is no longer an option." -Spider-Man

"With great power comes great responsibility." -Peter's Uncle Ben

BIBLICAL INFLUENCE

The biblical book of Proverbs lists the spider as one of four "small things that are very wise... [It] climbs up with its hands and is in king's palaces." Despite living amidst luxury, the spider prefers to catch its own food rather than taking from others. Compare that to Spider-Man's classic no-thank-you: "Action is my reward."

The first Arachnid hero in Jewish history saved the life of King David running from those who would slay him. After he ducked into a cave, a spider spun a web over the cave opening with such speed that his pursuers were sure that David could not be hiding within. But even though King David's life was spared thanks to a spider-hero, comic books wouldn't come along for another 3,000 years.

A spider spun a web over the cave opening with such speed that his pursuers were sure that David could not be hiding within.

The first comic book creators had a lot in common 60-70 years ago when they dreamed up a multitude of superheroes prepossessed with justice, self-sacrifice and acts of kindness. The vast majority of the writers, artists and publishers who created this industry out of near-nothingness were Jews. The roster of comic book pioneers reads like a shul mailing list: Schuster, Siegel, Gillman, Eisner, Binder, Klein, Fine, Schomburg, Blum, Simon, Meskin, Sekowsky.

The very first superhero, Superman, was introduced in 1938. His origin was based on the newborn Moses' narrow escape from Pharaoh's infanticide. Like Amram and Yocheved before them, Superman's parents Jor-El and Lara saved their baby son from communal catastrophe by placing him in a small conveyance (a mini-spaceship) and sending him off to be adopted, never dreaming he'd grow up to be a hero known the world over.

JEWISH HERO CORPS

In their few decades of existence, superheroes have become an international phenomenon and a multi-billion-dollar industry. In addition to Spider-Man and the X-Men, we have had four Batman movies, five Superman movies, dozens of animated and live action TV shows, and upcoming films of The Hulk, Daredevil and more. Comic books and their attendant characters are everywhere: lunchboxes, backpacks, action figures, t-shirts and even kipot.

The values they project have an effect on children and society. While cynics will claim that children are attracted to violence, I am of the understanding that children do not like violence per se, but are intrigued by excitement, conflict and resolution. Violence is just the rawest way to accomplish these ends.

Menorah Man grows eight arms that shoot flames.

That's why I created The Jewish Hero Corps, a team of Jewish superheroes whose common enemy is Jewish amnesia. Their adversaries, the Fobots, are contrary Robots programmed to erase Jewish knowledge and unravel Jewish history and culture. In an upcoming comic book, they tamper with computer memory chips to create the dreaded "Forget-me-Chip" which erases Jewish memories.
Menorah Man (who grows eight arms and shoots flames) works with Kippah Kid, Dreidel Maidel, and Shabbos Queen to promote Jewish values -- as well as Truth, Justice and the American Way.

As for Spider-Man, there's a real advantage to being able to weave your own tallis, and we can all look forward to a Shabbat meal with him and his wife, the Webbetzin.

Adapted in part from a lecture by the author at the CAJE (Coalitions for Alternatives in Jewish Education) conference at Stanford University in August 1997.

Alan Oirich is a writer and multimedia producer. For more information, see JewishSuperHeroes.com

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 8

(8)
Anonymous,
May 26, 2013 4:39 AM

Mike Sekowsky was not Jewish as your article suggests.

Many websites now claim Mike Sekowsky was Jewish as a result of this site (see Wikipedia). He was raised Catholic.

(7)
Dovid HaLevi,
December 27, 2011 8:09 PM

Spidey Teaches Responsibility

I don't follow the comics but have been "captive audience" to several Spiderman flics on airplane trips. At the end of one of them (II?), the female interest tell Spiderman/Parker after the funeral of his friend's father who happened to have been an arch villain who was killed by his own sled fighting Spidey--you can have my any time you like... Spiderman tells her thanks, but no--I'm Spiderman, I have responsibilities. I fell in my seat.
How many heroes, leaders, super or otherwise, need to learn this? What OJ did to a generation of black kids? Clinton? Katsav? Responsisibiities.
In a following film, the bereaved son comes to Spidey's aid (after realizing that Spiderman did not intentionally kill his dad) and himself dies in the battle. This film ends also at the funeral. Spiderman talks about making decisions, how his friend took responsibility and made the right decisions. Wow!

(6)
R. W. Watkins,
February 23, 2008 12:46 PM

Don't forget: Peter Parker's aggravating boss at The Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jamieson, was analogous to Adolf Hitler--right down to the moustache!

(5)
Anonymous,
September 19, 2002 12:00 AM

spider jew

you should put a kippa and teffilin on spider jew

(4)
Anonymous,
June 7, 2002 12:00 AM

um

Kipa kid ROCKS,GO MENORA MAN,SPIDER JEW REEKS WITH AWSOMENESS

(3)
Anonymous,
June 7, 2002 12:00 AM

menorah man is so cool so is spiderjew and especially the amzing kipa kid

(2)
Anonymous,
June 3, 2002 12:00 AM

cool

(1)
Anonymous,
June 2, 2002 12:00 AM

"Where there is no Human, be a Human." It is not enough to follow the negative Hillelian quote of "What is Evil to you, do not to another". Here is implied the positive side. "Do not let an evil befall another which you would not accept for yourself". This is a huge demand on any soul, and any who step into such shoes automatically become superheroes. Non-human powers are unnecesary, but absolutely all of the latent Human power IS.

I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!